1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dental treatment apparatus having a plurality of dental instruments which are adapted to be deposited and releasably retained in an instrument holding device.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A dental treatment apparatus of this type is described in Kaltenbach et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,812, assigned to the common assignee of the present application, by means of which the dentist is a position to store for the individual treatment instruments operating data of his own selection which will constitute fixed values. The treatment instrument will begin with these fixed values when taken into operation. However, the dentist can deviate from the fixed values and vary the operating data. The fixed values, as well as the varied operating data can be read off by the dentist on a display arrangement. After termination of the treatment, the treating instrument upon again being placed in operation commences at the stored fixed value. A data converter provides that the operating data is indicated on the display arrangement.
In the treatment apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,812 there is further provided that upon the withdrawal of a treating instrument from its depository in the holding device a switch which is associated therewith is actuated. These switches are connected with an instrument-encoder which generates an address signal characteristic of the currently withdrawn instrument. The control data-storage in the treatment apparatus pursuant to U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,812 evidences a number of registers corresponding to the number of treatment instruments, wherein each register is associated with one treatment instrument. The control data-storage has the address signal which is triggered by the actuating switches conducted thereto in order to activate the register which is associated with the instrument withdrawn from its depository, for the connection with the data switch-point.
Through the dental treatment apparatus which is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,812, for each instrument there can be called up individually the control data. Upon an exchange of the current treatment instrument, the treating personnel must select a new set of data for the then employed instrument.
During a typical dental treatment, the dentist will not only utilize one instrument but, in most instances, a plurality of instruments. Therefore, it is desirable that in conformance with the contemplated type of treatment the control data for all instruments which are to be employed can be concurrently selected, so that upon an instrument exchange the treating personnel need not again require to individually call up the desired set of data for each treatment instrument.